


A Little Bit of Worship

by frozenCinders



Category: OFF (Game)
Genre: Gen, male player referenced but very much out of the picture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:48:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25137163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frozenCinders/pseuds/frozenCinders
Summary: When the Batter's precious Player disappears indefinitely and he finds himself lost in the void of his absence, Zacharie embraces a new role.
Relationships: The Batter & The Player, The Batter & Zacharie
Comments: 2
Kudos: 39





	A Little Bit of Worship

Zacharie has been thinking quite a lot about the Batter's Player recently.

He loves the Elsens, talking to each and every one of them at least once-- or sometimes many times-- and he seems to like fighting. He's quick and dextrous when it comes to controlling the Batter, guiding him fluidly and efficiently. He's dense when it comes to puzzles and it's endearing watching him get stumped and pause the game, only to suddenly return with knowledge Zacharie knows damn well he got from a guide. Despite this, he isn't stupid; this is reflected in his battle strategies, and the fact that the Jokers the Batter found throughout his mission sat untouched in his inventory, not spared even a thought. He is equally cautious and ruthlessly aggressive, handily dispatching specters, burnts, and even secretaries while keeping the Batter and his add-ons' heads well above the water.

Zacharie has had plenty of time to ruminate on the Batter's precious Player, seeing as he's been missing for quite some time now. He'd thought, of course, that it was simple neglect, at first. Then he extended his consciousness just a tad, just enough to cheat a little and check the last time his computer was turned on. He fears now that the Player may never return, but he lets the Batter keep whatever hope he may have.

He spends more time with the Batter now, too. Without the curious Player commanding him, the Batter doesn't run up to Zacharie and talk so much anymore, and thus Zacharie doesn't have to think of any explanations for his presence. He just watches the Batter try and fail to make progress at the start of zone 3, because he's dense when it comes to puzzles, too. He keeps mixing up the markings on the map, and the one time Zacharie had hope for him, the Batter had gotten distracted by his foot catching on the leg of a chair and ended up stepping out of bounds, fighting the small horde of specters only to be teleported back to the start. Again.

He picks fights with the punishing specters on purpose now, probably hoping he can just clear them out. Or maybe it's as something to do, seeing as the secretaries in the purified zones are too tough for him. The Batter tries his damnedest to remember how his Player would fight, but some things slip his mind and some strategies are simply difficult for him to utilize on his own. It's hard to control three consciousnesses while in the heat of an extra tough battle and no screen to remove oneself from the action and make it easier to make decisions. His dear, thoughtful Player must have known the secretaries would give the Batter trouble on his own, so he was always sure to step out of the purified zones he'd carefully dipped his puppet's toes into before saving and quitting in a normal zone.

The Batter has grown tired of the laughable punishment encounters in the cafeteria and is wandering back towards the save block again. Zacharie eyes him until he's out of sight, registering his footsteps in the nothingness and placing himself in the same zone the Batter picks out. The Player had painstakingly sought out the one remaining Elsen in the purified zone 2 and talked to him several times, but Zacharie figures the Batter could use the company of one other lifeform. Just so he doesn't get lonely.

Both Zacharie and the Batter have given up on attempting to keep the Batter's inventory looking more or less the same as how the Player left it. He'd been refilling the Batter's inventory for free, as a gracious favor to keep the Player from getting suspicious should he ever return, but he eventually stopped appreciating the pity and started silently handing Zacharie credits like normal. He accepted and has since ceased offering to make exceptions.

Today, it seems like the Batter is craving "normalcy" even more than usual. He actually approaches Zacharie as soon as he spots him. Zacharie offers him a quick chat but genuinely has no useful information for him, so the Batter is quick to wander away.

His first encounter brings three secretaries and it isn't long before Omega is cornered and taken down by the hideous things. The Batter and Alpha finish up the fight without it and, though not in nearly the worst shape Zacharie has ever seen him in, the Batter grits his teeth and tightens his grip around his bat before launching it against the nearest wall in frustration. He lowers his head, cap obscuring his eyes by design, and waits for his angry trembling to subside before unclenching his fists, retrieving his bat, and using a Joker on Omega. Zacharie wordlessly holds a replacement out and the Batter has the credits ready for him before he's even made it over to him.

"... It's hard," he says. "It's hard without guidance."

"Then go back to zone 3," Zacharie suggests. Anything is better than those terrifying secretaries.

"I can't fucking do anything there, either."

Zacharie allows a beat of silence between them before making a quiet offer.

"I could be your guide."

It isn't facetious this time, isn't mirthful and lacking commitment like when he'd offered the tiniest tips to the Player. Somehow, by someone's hand, the Batter has to make progress, and it seems his true guide has been unexpectedly taken away from him. Does it really count as interference if the game would otherwise be forfeit? Why shouldn't Zacharie take action?

The Batter seems to consider his words. He appears, for all intents and purposes, to be a man of faith. He probably prefers his guiding hand to be this unseeable, unknowable creature with access to untold knowledge. But then, is Zacharie so different? He's intentionally cryptic, wouldn't remove his mask in front of another living being for the world, and likes to exist just outside the bounds of the rules, only allowed to stay there because he doesn't bend them so hard that they snap. Unseeable, unknowable, possessor of Too Much Information-- the only real difference is that Zacharie's voice is one that can be heard.

Zacharie begins to wonder if this, too, is intentional. He's examined the code of the game, knows it by heart, but knows that unexpected circumstances can have unexpected results in any code. He is the best option, the _only_ option to replace the missing Player. If the Batter is to see his mission through to the end without help from the other side of the screen, he has to choose Zacharie.

So he does. After silently mulling it over, he seems to relax for the first time in months and nods.

"Until my Player comes back," he says.

"Should be any day now," Zacharie replies, and he doesn't mean to taunt, but he can't help his words. The Batter seems to take them at face value, displaying no offense, and he walks the short distance back to the save block to cross the nothingness into zone 3. As Zacharie has his own means of transport, he parts ways with the Batter for a few mere minutes before greeting him at the entrance to the cafeteria.

He shows the Batter how to read the map, helps him stop losing his place in the middle of the room. When they finally get to where Zacharie was planning to show the Batter his new mask and play a little prank on him some time ago, he instead just hops up on the counter and sits there in case the Batter wants to shop.

"No counter, no merchant," he says. "Just so we're clear. I'm not interested in being a walking inventory."

"A static one, then," the Batter retorts. Zacharie chuckles, surprised that the Batter's mood has been uplifted enough for him to make a joke for once.

Zacharie guides the Batter west to the dormitories. The Batter starts talking to the Elsens, once again seeking his normalcy, and Zacharie wordlessly allows him this. When the Batter watches a small group of specters kill an Elsen and immediately engages with them to avenge the poor thing, Zacharie does not accompany him to the battle zone. He instead relieves the Batter of control, commanding him and his add-ons from a screen's worth of distance, reminiscent of his missing Player.

It isn't meant to be a hard fight, but the Batter seems a bit more satisfied than he has been lately once the specters have been eliminated, him and his add-ons hardly sustaining a scratch. In the Overworld, Zacharie expects the Batter to say something to him, but he walks over to the dead Elsen and kneels beside him.

He's probably offering a short prayer in his head. Maybe it's something he would do regardless, or maybe it's because of his missing Player's influence. Either way, when he stands, he actually looks at Zacharie; that is, he keeps his eyes open for longer than a narrow peek. Zacharie finds himself a little stunned under his gaze, his own expression luckily hidden behind his mask.

"Please keep doing that," the Batter requests of him. He sounds monotonous as always, but it's obvious that he's appreciative.

"... I suppose I'll be the source of your clairvoyance from now on," he replies.

Zacharie knows how to get through zone 3-- well, he knows the layout, and each solution to every puzzle lies in his head somewhere, but there are things even Zacharie either doesn't know or doesn't quite remember. His guidance proves more than sufficient for now, though, as the Batter finally makes real progress again. Now with a third and final add-on, the Batter could probably handle himself just fine even without Zacharie's help, but he stays because the Batter wants him to.

"It's not just the fighting," he says when prompted as to why. He doesn't elaborate further, but Zacharie can guess. What's a puppet without its puppeteer? He can't stand his invisible strings being lax; he much prefers them taut and demanding.

They take the tram to the next area and Zacharie climbs over the counter in the first building to wait on the other side for the Batter to talk to him. He pauses for just a moment before walking over and Zacharie abandons the bit he'd planned, offering his services as a merchant without making the Batter walk to the other half of the building.

The Batter still has what Zacharie likes to consider a trust fund from his Player. He never purchased anything but equipment and picked many more fights than strictly necessary, especially in the purified zones, which lead to a mountain of credits building up in the Batter's inventory. It barely dwindled while the Batter was constantly replacing his healing items, only because of Zacharie's unbelievably wonderful prices, but finally having access to new equipment does put a long-awaited dent in his funds.

The Batter finishes updating his inventory but does not walk away. Zacharie can barely see two eyes open just so, shadowed almost too well by the brim of his cap. At least he _only_ opens two.

"What is it, amigo?" Zacharie prompts him, tone light. "Are you desiring a wonderful mask of your own?"

"It's weird."

"... The mask?"

"Seeing my Player."

The statement resonates strangely, wrongly, but Zacharie can't even deny that it's true. He's essentially the Player now. He laughs, just a little longer and less restrained than his usual chuckle.

"So, what? You like me more now? I hope you know that flattery will get you nowhere," Zacharie says-- a good-natured warning.

"Is it flattering?" the Batter asks. He doesn't even attempt to deny anything.

"To me, it is. To you, I suppose it feels natural, doesn't it?"

"It does."

Zacharie is fairly certain the Batter's eyes are closed again, but he remains exactly where he is. He's started to get a bit confused by it, in fact. The Batter had been so restless before, so eager to get at least _something_ done, and now he just idles in front of Zacharie. Is he waiting to be escorted outside?

Just as Zacharie is about to ask, the Batter places his hands on the counter and leans forward. He looks like he's working up the nerve to say something. Odd, he usually just speaks his mind.

Zacharie leans forward as well, to the point that they begin to invade each other's personal space. He smiles behind his mask and huffs inaudibly as he waits for the Batter to speak.

"You know things," he finally says. "Things I couldn't possibly have access to. How far does it go?"

"That depends," Zacharie answers, because it's easier than an explanation. "What did you want to know?"

"He's not coming back, is he?"

Zacharie's smile falls, his fingers sliding off the counter as his shoulders drop just slightly. He can't show the Batter his expression, but his body language communicates the slightest tinge of sympathy.

"No, my friend. I don't believe so."

It makes it into his voice as well, soft and genuine. The Batter takes in the information, gives himself a little time to register it before nodding and pushing off of the counter.

"Circumstances beyond our control, I think," Zacharie says as means of reassurance. "He didn't abandon you."

"Abandonment doesn't have to be purposeful," the Batter says. Zacharie has no further encouragement for him.

The Batter leaves the building by himself and Zacharie delays in following him. When he steps outside, he sees the Batter waiting for him, hunched slightly with his bat hanging down at his side as he stares into the relative darkness of the tram station. He used to stand so tall, so proud, his bat swung over his shoulder with a stoic, immovable assurance. It seems having his guiding force plucked away has humbled him, at best.

"This way, then," Zacharie says as he leads him to the factory. The Batter talks to all the Elsens inside, lingers on the one wheezing in the corner in the second room. He gets shy under the Batter's attention, nervously fidgeting and backing up into the boxes he's cornered himself against. Zacharie swears he sees the slightest hint of a smile tug at the Batter's lips, unprecedented, and then it's gone as he leaves the Elsen to his devices.

They get into the vault and the Batter is sure to stand in front of Zacharie as the agitated Elsens fight off the specters. Zacharie can't really see past him, but seeing as that is uncharacteristic behavior for them and their voices are higher pitched than normal, he readies for battle with burnts. Sure enough, the Elsens attack the Batter simply for being nearby, and Zacharie has him quickly dispatch them.

The whole room smells sickly sweet. Zacharie steps closer to the white piles and ascertains that it's sugar.

"It must be important to them," the Batter figures.

"... Too important," Zacharie observes.

When they head back out, Zacharie tenses at the frantic movements of the Elsens. They're agitated because they're convinced the Batter wants to take their sugar, wants to hurt them, and Zacharie sticks as close to him as possible as he squeezes by every last one of them without a fight. They aren't followed out of the factory.

"Hope the poor things calm down before they burn up," Zacharie comments, but the default mirth in his voice makes it sound almost cruel.

The Batter heads back to the first building and Zacharie runs past him to hop up onto the counter. There he sits, swinging his legs with the pleasant buzz of adrenaline the close call in the factory gave him. The Batter walks up to him, staring for a moment before checking his inventory. He's learned to err more and more on the side of caution, so he digs another tiny hole in his trust fund for some Golden Flesh. It's only two pieces, but they'll do.

As it turns out, exploring an entire zone with the Batter is dangerous as hell. Zacharie can still count on both hands the amount of times he's almost died _this day alone_ and hopes it stays that way. He tries his best to stay out of harm's way even with the specters' tendency to ambush, but fuck, sometimes the Batter just decides to jump down an unconscionably long chimney and Zacharie has no damn choice but to follow. If there weren't Elsens hopped up on sugar nearby when they finally landed safely, Zacharie might have kneeled down and thanked the ground profusely for holding him up once more.

They're underground now, once again forced to dodge burnts as they navigate the halls of the facility. Zacharie remembers what's nearby and has a peek at the game's files while the Batter isn't paying attention, just to get the code he requires fresh in his mind. He's throwing open every door that isn't locked, applying more and more force with each one.

After opening another door into yet another completely unremarkable room, the Batter pauses. He goes and stands in the middle of the room, sighing impatiently. Then he kicks some boxes over in a line, grabbing Zacharie by the arm and placing him behind them.

"There's your counter," he says.

Zacharie laughs harder than he has in a _long_ time. He sits down behind the sorry excuse for a counter and sets his wares out over the boxes. He has no new equipment to offer the Batter yet, just some recovery items. The Batter spends a suspicious amount of credits, like he's expecting the fights to suddenly get a hell of a lot harder, but Zacharie has been directing him well and his inventory is hardly dwindling.

"Why buy so much, amigo?" Zacharie asks, purely curious. He's in a pretty good position now to argue that the Batter doesn't need so much junk.

"I just wanted to give you credits," he says.

He what?

"... I don't understand."

"You like credits, right? So I want to offer them to you."

"Batter, that's not how any of this is supposed to work," Zacharie tells him, but all he gets is a shrug. It seems the Batter's bias towards his Player has indeed been transferred unto Zacharie, and now he even seeks to make _offerings_. He hadn't been able to do that with his last Player.

"Well, if I'm your Player, that means your credits are mine by default now. Please be a little more wise about spending them... although I won't be controlling you in my shop."

It'd be unfair if he dictated not only the prices, but also exactly what and how much the Batter were able to buy.

"Then what else can I do? Besides credits."

Zacharie sighs quietly.

"Your last Player didn't ask for anything," he says.

"I couldn't give him anything," the Batter retorts. "I would have."

"... I would argue you did. An experience is still something, after all. Maybe your presence helped him. Maybe he needed it more than you could know."

Unexpectedly, the Batter drops his bat and walks over to sit against the wall. He's silent now-- grieving, if not sulking. Zacharie lets him be, sitting in the thick quiet of the room with him. However, the silence gets old quickly for Zacharie, and he can't resist speaking up again, possibly before the Batter is ready.

"It's what I want, too."

"What is?"

The Batter's answer is quicker than Zacharie would have figured.

"The experience. In my case, please do your best to prevent me from dying a gruesome death." He chuckles to contrast his desolate words. "It would mean the world to me, friend."

The Batter stands now, looking considerably less like a child in timeout.

"Then I'll do whatever it takes to protect you," he says.

Zacharie believes him. If he's the guiding hands on the Batter's shoulders, then the Batter is a protective arm held out across Zacharie's chest.

And maybe it's better this way.


End file.
